NEW DELHI: AAP today hit out at the ruling BJP at the Centre and accused it of undermining democratic institutions in the country by not allowing elected governments to assert themselves.
At a panel discussion on Centre-state relations in the wake of a tussle between the AAP government in Delhi and the Lt Governor over the appointment of an acting Chief Secretary, AAP leader Ashutosh charged that the manner in which officials are removed "overnight" by NDA government betrays a "dangerous attitude".
Responding to the AAP attack, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said at the event organised by the Indian Women's Press Corp here that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party should work with "responsibility" instead of engaging in the "politics of conflict".
Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said for his part that AAP and BJP could have avoided the row while JD(U) MP KC Tyagi called for a fresh debate on Centre-state relations and the roles of the Lt Governor and the Delhi Chief Minister.
CPI(M) central committee member Jogendra Sharma, meanwhile, maintained that the people of Delhi will not get their democratic rights until the city gets full statehood, an issue which BJP said was technically complicated.
Referring to the row over the appointment of officials, Ashutosh said, "The way institutions are being undermined in a systematic way, the way the parliamentary set up is being undermined, whichever institution tries to assert itself should not have the right... that is the attempt."
There is, he said, a need to discuss whether a democratically-elected chief minister should have more primacy in Delhi as compared to an "unelected" Lt Governor. He also expressed concern over the chief minister not being allowed to pick an official of his choice.